Gr Hyderabad civic body seeks govt nod for Musi skyway project

If everything goes as per plan, the skyway connecting Outer Ring Road on the East side of the city to Outer Ring Road (ORR) on west side of the city will be completed in the next three yearsKoride Mahesh | TNN | April 06, 2016, 19:00 IST

HYDERABAD: Taking a cue from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, a 26 km skyway all along the Musi river is being planned by the state government. If everything goes as per plan, the skyway connecting Outer Ring Road on the East side of the city to Outer Ring Road (ORR) on west side of the city will be completed in the next three years.

Of the total 41 km east-west link, a 26 km skyway will be built in Phase I. Under this phase, a six-laned radial road will be developed from ORR on the East side of the city to Nagole. The skyway would be constructed from Nagole to ORR West. In the second phase, a skyway from Nagole to ORR East will be completed.

The skyway is to be built on the river bed for 20 km and the rest of the six km would run along the banks of Musi. The skyway has been designed to allow vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km an hour.

"GHMC sent the skyway proposal to the state government seeking an administrative sanction for the Rs 5,900 crore project along with a request to fund the project. The government will soon take a call on it," GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy told TOI on Tuesday. Once completed, the skyway is expected to make travel easier along Nagole ring road, Moosarambagh, Chaderghat, MGBS, Afzalgunj, Puranapul, Attapur ring road till it reaches the ORR at Narsingi.

The GHMC will also seek environmental clearance for the project since it is to be built on the river bed. The application for environmental clearance is expected to be submitted to the pollution control board in the second week of April.

"The skyway will de-congest the existing roads connecting both ends of the city. Currently, the Inner Ring Road (IRR) is generally choked with traffic during peak hours and the skyway will reduce the travel time to a great extent. In addition, the traffic volume is likely to increase in the next few years as there is a potential growth of areas beyond Nagole on the East side and Tippu Khan bridge on the Western part of the city," a GHMC official overseeing the project said.

Sources said of the total project cost of about Rs 5,900 crore, about Rs 5,162 crore is required for construction of skyway and development of the radial road and the balance Rs 754 crore will be needed for land acquisition. The state government has to acquire about 244 acres for the entire project.

Janardhan Reddy said various financial models are being worked by the government for the project this includes taking loans from the private financial institutions and making repayments on annuity model.